The playoffs in Europe are getting hot, so are the crossovers in the second UEFA competition

Feyenoord-Roma, Milan-Rennes and Shakhtar Donetsk-Olympique Marseille are the most notable clashes in the Europa League playoff tie, whose draw took place this Monday at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon (Switzerland). With the former French player Julien Escude, champion of the tournament with Sevilla in 2006 and 2007, as an innocent hand, fortune once again paired the Roman team and the Dutch, who already met two seasons ago in the final of the Conference League and the passed in the semi-final of the Europa League.

On both occasions, Jose Mourinho's team emerged victorious, losing to Sevilla on penalties in the fight for this latest title. On this occasion they find themselves in this so-called 'play off' after Roma finished second in group G of the Europa League after Slavia Prague and Feyenoord, champion of this competition in 1974 and 2002, was third in their Champions group League after Atlético de Madrid and Lazio.

Milan, which also falls from the first continental competition after failing to beat Borussia Dortmund and PSG in the group of death, and will meet Rennes, against whom a curious play at the end of the match against Villarreal (goal disallowed) after the ball in a foul returned to the thrower without anyone touching it) prevented him from finishing as leader and going directly to the second round.

Shakhtar Donestk, winner of the Europa League in 2009, restarts its European path against a continental champion like Marseille that is trying to renew old laurels and that in this tournament has three runners-up finishes, in 1999, 2004 and 2018. For the moment , after saying goodbye in the Champions League preview against Panathinaikos on penalties, the French team has already left Ajax and AEK in the gutter and was only beaten in their group by Brighton. The Portuguese trio formed by Sporting Lisbon, Benfica and Braga, who want to join Porto in the championship, will face the Swiss Young Boys, the French Toulouse and Qarabag, the first Azerbaijani team to reach this round.

The final crossings

Feyenoord Rotterdam vs AS Roma, AC Milan vs Stade Rennais, Lens vs SC Freiburg, Young Boys vs Sporting CP, Benfica vs Toulouse, Braga vs FK Qarabag, Galatasaray vs Sparta Prague and Shakhtar Donetsk vs Marseille, the matches will be played on the 15th and February 22. The winners will enter the round of 16 draw on February 23 along with the first classified from the Europa League group stage: West Ham, Brighton, Liverpool (ENG), Rangers (SCO), Atalanta (ITA), Villarreal (SPA ), Slavia Prague (CZE) and Bayer Leverkusen (GER).